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An hour of quiet thereby shall we see1;

Till then, in patience our proceeding be.

[Exeunt.

SCENE II.

A Hall in the Castle.

Enter HAMLET and HORATIO.

Ham. So much for this, sir: now shall you see the others.

You do remember all the circumstance.

Hor. Remember it, my lord!

Ham. Sir, in my heart there was a kind of fighting, That would not let me sleep: methought, I lay Worse than the mutines in the bilboes. Rashly,— And prais'd be rashness for it,—let us know, Our indiscretion sometimes serves us well,

When our deep plots do pall; and that should teach us',

There's a divinity that shapes our ends,

Rough-hew them how we will.

Hor.

Ham. Up from my cabin,

That is most certain.

My sea-gown scarf'd about me, in the dark

An hour of quiet THEREBY shall we see ;] So all the quartos, after that of 1604, (that of 1603 has no corresponding line) which has thirty,-no doubt a misprint for "thereby," and not for shortly, as it stands in the folios.

- now SHALL YOU see the other ;-] The folio reads, "now let me see," &c. 6 Worse than the MUTINES in the BILBOES.] Here again we have "mutines " for mutineers, as in "King John," Vol. iv. p. 31. The bilboes seem to have been so called from the place where they were made, Bilboa, and they consisted of an iron bar with rings for confining the hands or legs of offenders on board ship. It is said that the punishment was made known to this country by the Armada.

When our DEEP plots do PALL; and that should TEACH us,] The folio has "dear plots" for deep plots of the quartos: "pall" is the reading of the quarto 1604, and of the folio: other quartos have fall. We adopt "teach" from the folio, instead of "learn" of the older copies. The reasoning in this passage is consecutive in Hamlet's mind, but, perhaps, hardly so in his expressions.

1

Grop'd I to find out them; had my desire;
Finger'd their packet; and, in fine, withdrew
To mine own room again: making so bold,
My fears forgetting manners, to unfolds
Their grand commission; where I found, Horatio,
O royal knavery"! an exact command,—
Larded with many several sorts of reasons,

Importing Denmark's health, and England's too,
With, ho! such bugs and goblins in my life,-
That on the supervise, no leisure bated,
No, not to stay the grinding of the axe,
My head should be struck off.

Hor.

Is't possible?

Ham. Here's the commission: read it at more leisure.

But wilt thou hear me how I did proceed ?

Hor. I beseech you.

Ham. Being thus benetted round with villains,—

Ere I could make a prologue to my brains,
They had begun the play,-I sat me down,
Devis'd a new commission; wrote it fair.
I once did hold it, as our statists do,

A baseness to write fair, and labour'd much
How to forget that learning; but, sir, now
It did me yeoman's service. Wilt thou know
The effect of what I wrote ?

Hor.

Ay, good my lord.

Ham. An earnest conjuration from the king,

As England was his faithful tributary,

As love between them like the palm might flourish,
As peace should still her wheaten garland wear,
And stand a comma 'tween their amities',

8 to unfold-] The folio "to unseal," but the commission was supposed to be folded up, and perhaps it is here unnecessary to represent Hamlet breaking the seal of the commission. The quartos, 1604, &c. all have “unfold."

9 0 royal knavery !] The quartos, 1604, &c. poorly read “ a royal knavery.” 10 But wilt thou hear ME-] The quartos have now for "me."

1 And stand a COMMA 'tween their amities;] "The comma (says Johnson) is the note of connection and continuity of sentences; the period is the note of

And many such like as's of great charge,-
That on the view and know of these contents,
Without debatement farther, more or less,

He should the bearers put to sudden death,
Not shriving-time allow'd.

Hor.

How was this seal'd?

Ham. Why, even in that was heaven ordinant 3. I had my father's signet in my purse,

Which was the model of that Danish seal;

Folded the writ up in form of the other;

Subscrib'd it; gave't th' impression; plac'd it safely, The changeling never known. Now, the next day Was our sea-fight, and what to this was sequent Thou know'st already.

Hor. So Guildenstern and Rosencrantz go to't.

Ham. Why, man, they did make love to this employment*:

They are not near my conscience; their defeat

Does by their own insinuation grow.

'Tis dangerous, when the baser nature comes Between the pass and fell incensed points

Of mighty opposites.

Hor.

Why, what a king is this!

Ham. Does it not, think thee, stand me now upon― He that hath kill'd my king, and whor'd my mother; Popp'd in between th' election and my hopes; Thrown out his angle for my proper life,

And with such cozenage-is't not perfect conscience,

abruption and disjunction. Shakespeare had it perhaps in his mind to write,That unless England complied with the mandate, war should put a period to their amity; he altered his mode of diction, and thought that, in an opposite sense, he might put, that "peace should stand a comma between their amities." 2 And many such like as's of great charge,-] The quartos unintelligibly read, “as, sir, of great charge," which the folio altered to assis: Hamlet refers to the word as, which begins three previous lines. In the next line, the folio uses "know" for knowledge, which in the quartos is knowing.

- was heaven ordinant.] Ordinate is the word in the folio.

4 Why, man, they did make love to this employment ;] This is a line not in any of the quartos. In the next line the folio reads debate for "defeat," which last seems the right word. Above it has sement for "sequent."

To quit him with this arm"? and is't not to be damn'd, To let this canker of our nature come

In farther evil?

Hor. It must be shortly known to him from England, What is the issue of the business there.

Ham. It will be short: the interim is mine;

And a man's life no more than to say, one.
But I am very sorry, good Horatio,

That to Laertes I forgot myself,

For by the image of my cause I see

The portraiture of his: I'll count his favours":
But, sure, the bravery of his grief did put me
Into a towering passion.

Hor.

Peace! who comes here?

Enter OSRICK'.

Osr. Your lordship is right welcome back to Denmark.

Ham. I humbly thank you, sir.-Dost know this water-fly?

Hor. No, my good lord.

Ham. Thy state is the more gracious, for 'tis a vice to know him. He hath much land, and fertile: let a beast be lord of beasts, and his crib shall stand at the king's mess: 'tis a chough; but, as I say, spacious in the possession of dirt.

Osr. Sweet lord, if your lordship were at leisure, I should impart a thing to you from his majesty.

Ham. I will receive it, sir, with all diligence of spirit. Your bonnet to his right use; 'tis for the head.

5 To quit him with this arm?] i. e. to quite or requite him. From this line until the entrance of Osrick is only in the folio impressions.

6—

I'll count his favours.] Rowe reads court for "count," with considerable plausibility however, "count" may be the word in the sense of count upon. 7 Enter Osrick.] "Enter a courtier," in the quartos, 1604, &c. "Enter a braggart gentleman," in the quarto, 1603.

8

- as I say,] The folio only reads "as I saw." In the next speech it has friendship for "lordship."

Osr. I thank your lordship, 'tis very hot.

Ham. No, believe me, 'tis very cold: the wind is northerly.

Osr. It is indifferent cold, my lord, indeed.

Ham. But yet, methinks, it is very sultry, and hot for my complexion'.

Osr. Exceedingly, my lord; it is very sultry,-as 't were,-I cannot tell how.-But my lord, his majesty bade me signify to you, that he has laid a great wager on your head. Sir, this is the matter,

Ham. I beseech you, remember

[HAMLET moves him to put on his Hat. Osr. Nay, in good faith; for mine ease, in good faith. Sir, here is newly come to court', Laertes; believe me, an absolute gentleman, full of most excellent differences, of very soft society, and great showing: indeed, to speak feelingly of him, he is the card or calendar of gentry, for you shall find in him the continent of what part a gentleman would see.

Ham. Sir, his definement suffers no perdition in you; though, I know, to divide him inventorially, would dizzy' the arithmetic of memory; and yet but raw neither, in respect of his quick sail. But, in the verity of extolment, I take him to be a soul of great article; and his infusion of such dearth and rareness, as, to make true diction of him, his semblable is his mirror; and who else would trace him, his umbrage, nothing more.

9 for my complexion.] So the folio, completing the sentence; but the quartos have "or my complexion," leaving it unfinished. In the next speech, "But, my lord," of the folio, is only My lord in the quartos.

1 Sir, here is newly come to court,] From these words, inclusive, down to Hamlet's question, "What's his weapon?" is only in the quartos, 1604, &c., with the exception of the words "you are not ignorant of what excellence Laertes is," to which the folio adds "at his weapon." There is no trace of this part of the play in the quarto, 1603.

2- to speak FEELINGLY of him,] So all the quartos but that of 1604, which has sellingly, which may be right.

3 — would dizzy-] So all the quartos but that of 1604, which has dozie: it has also yaw for "raw," which itself may be a misprint: Warburton would read slow for "raw."

VOL. VII.

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